News

Study of Renewable Energy In America Finds Solar Power Has Grown 43-Fold Since 2007

The Inertia
July 31, 2017

New York has been graced with strong sun and whipping winds that electricity companies have harnessed for renewable energy in the past several years. The state has seen a 6,548% increase in the amount of energy it gets from the sun and a 473% increase in wind power production since 2007, according to a report released by the Environment New York Research & Policy Center.

PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and the Environment

Public Policy Institute of California
August 10, 2017

Key findings from the current survey:

  • Strong majorities of California adults (72%) and likely voters (66%) favor the new state law mandating reductions in greenhouse gas emissions; 56% of adults and 49% of likely voters support the state’s cap-and-trade program.
  • Half of Californians believe state climate policies will lead to more jobs, while most (54%) expect gas prices to rise.
  • Overall job approval is low in California for both the president and Congress; state leaders fare much better, and their approval ratings on environmental issues have risen.

Wind energy development rose 40% in Q2

Utility Dive
July 31, 2017
  • Wind energy development and construction rose 40% in the second quarter compared to the same time last year, according to a new report from the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). 
  • Nationwide, 29 wind projects with a combined capacity of 3,841 MW began construction in Q2, bringing the total to 25,819 MW of wind projects in various phases of construction, 7,500 MW more than the end of Q2 2016. 

Clean Energy Is Trouncing Oil, Gas and Coal in Trump Era

Bloomberg
July 18, 2017

President Donald Trump took office vowing to revive the coal industry’s fortunes. So far, the smart money has been on clean energy.
An index of 40 publicly-traded solar companies, wind-turbine component makers and others that benefit from reduced fossil fuel consumption is up 20 percent this year. That’s more than double the S&P 500’s 9.8 percent gain. And better than the 8.3 percent rise by an index of leading coal companies.

Governor Jerry Brown Likely To Face Decision On 100 Percent Clean Electricity

KPBS
July 14, 2017

A key vote this week in Sacramento has moved California closer than most people could imagine to a future in which all electricity — 100 percent of it — is produced without releasing more carbon into the air. When Senate President Pro Tem Kevin De León proposed the bill, many viewed it as aspirational. Now, it could actually become the law of the land.

Letters to the editor: SB 100 will help diminish reliance on fossil fuels

Inland Empire Community News
July 20, 2017

Dear Editor:

Black soot from trucks, seas of freeways, and the perpetuation of unstable warehouse jobs are the circumstances my future is faced with as a young first generation Mexican student.  At school, we are taught to think critically about the problems our society faces, and one common issue that weaves the struggles I’ve mentioned above is climate change and environmental injustice, specifically caused from burning fossil fuels.

U.S. wind power momentum up 40 percent from last year

UPI
July 28, 2017

July 28 (UPI) -- About half of the population in the state of Kansas could now be drawing energy from wind power as the U.S. sector gains momentum, an industry report showed.

A quarterly report from the American Wind Energy Association found the sector is gaining traction. Compared with last year, there were 40 percent more wind energy projects under construction or advancing through the development stage during the second quarter.